Couple who won £32m lottery jackpot split nine years later

Couple who won £32m lottery jackpot (and vowed to live as Mr and Mrs Boring) split nine years later – and are sharing their riches with new lovers

• Gerry and Lisa Cannings won the huge £32.5 million sum back in 2016  

A married couple who vowed not to let the £32.5 million lottery jackpot ‘change them’ have divorced – both sharing their riches with new lovers.

When teachers Gerry and Lisa Cannings won the huge sum in February 2016 they vowed to stay as ‘Mr and Mrs boring and normal’ but the couple have now reportedly divorced – living in two country mansions just eight miles away from each other.

Former history teacher Mr Cannings, 70, who friends say is not ‘much of a spender’ is reportedly with his new love Samantha Cardell, 55, who was a parent at the school where he taught.

Former Spanish teacher Mrs Cannings, 55, also lives with her new beau – a football-mad trucker named Carl Weaver – and drives a turquoise Porsche.

The pair live at the £2 million mansion Mrs Cannings bought with her ex-husband, while Mr Cannings and Ms Cardell live in a countryside property in Lincolnshire.

Gerry and Lisa Cannings won£32.5 million in the lottery jackpot back in February 2016

Mr Cannings, 70, is now loved up with Samantha Cardell – a parent at the school he used to teach – after splitting with his wife

A friend close to the now divorced couple, who used to live in Deeping, St James, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, told The Sun: ‘Everyone has tried to make out there was this dramatic split with affairs and things – but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

‘The reality is Gerry and Lisa split and have both happily found new people to move on with.

‘Gerry isn’t known as much of a spender so it’s fantastic he’s found someone to help him enjoy all those millions he’s got in the bank.’

Another friend said that Mrs Cannings is ‘enjoying the quiet life with her down-to-earth new man’ after years of ‘slogging it out as a teacher’.

Companies House revealed the couple split during lockdown in 2020. Before Mrs Cannings took a step back from the company that had been used as their main investment vehicle in 2021.

Mr Cannings two sons, Tom and Andrew, from his first marriage are now reportedly looking after the business.

Mr and Mrs Cannings fell in love over meetings at a photocopier while they were both working at Deeping Academy.

Just nine years later the couple, who vowed to remain Mr and Mrs boring, have divorced 

The couple were did not regularly take part in the lotto. Mr Cannings told of how he had popped to a local fish and chip shop when he saw the National Lottery poster announcing the big Lotto jackpo

Mrs Cannings said previously: ‘We sort of got to know each other when we were photocopying in the copy room. Our first date was on November 30 2001 and we went to a pub in Werrington, Cambridgeshire, as I was living with my parents at the time.’

The couple were did not regularly take part in the lotto. Mr Cannings told of how he had popped to a local fish and chip shop when he saw the National Lottery poster announcing the big Lotto jackpot.

He bought five Lucky Dipper tickets for the draw in the spur of the moment. After discovering their luck, the couple did not cash in straight away when they found the ticket.

Instead Mr Cannings spent a nerve-wracking few day walking around with the ticket in his pocket. He said at the time: ‘It’s just the way we are – we don’t really worry about things or make a drama. You could say we’re a bit boring like that.’

Mrs Cannings said at the time: ‘I know it sounds mad but we had a guy in to paint the whole house.

‘We’d been planning it for ages and had packed everything into boxes.

‘We just thought it would be easier to wait, although it did mean that Gerry had to carry round the winning ticket in his wallet all week. It was very nerve-wracking!’

When their six lucky numbers matched, Mrs Cannings texted her friends and family saying: ‘Won the lottery jackpot! Catch us on the news! Speak to you soon! OMG!’

For months after the win the now-divorced couple continued to live in their £200,000 detached home and continued to drive their Skoda Estate for months after.

They even vowed not to spoil their son, Sam, who was 11 at the time, claiming he would have to wait until his birthday in June to get the Xbox he had always dreamed of.

The couple declined to comment when approached by The Sun this week.  

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